Understanding and Updating Tissue Processing Protocols Using the GREAT Method

When:  Feb 5, 2021

Joshua Greenlee, MBA, HT/HTL(ASCP)cm, Sakura Finetek, USA

When was the last time the tissue processing protocol in your laboratory was updated? Most laboratories have been using the same set of tissue processing protocols for as long as they can remember. Many labs do not know where their processing protocol came from or even how it was put together in the first place. To some, considering a protocol change is intimidating because they have no idea where to start. New tissue processors are often brought into the laboratory only to be saddled with the same old processing protocols that could be decades old in some cases. Tissue processing is one of the most time-intensive tasks in a histology laboratory, and with the importance of turnaround time and quality continuing to grow, few labs realize that opportunities for efficiency gains can be found right under their noses in terms of updating their protocols. In this workshop, we will debunk some processing myths, review the purpose and function of the common steps and reagents in tissue processing, and finally break down the anatomy of a protocol and learn how to evaluate a protocol for opportunities for improvement using the GREAT method.